While the conversation surrounding The Best 2018 and Luka Modric's win over Cristiano Ronaldo rambles on, Ernesto Valverde is not one in favor of this frenzy. In fact, the Barcelona boss argues that this aspect of the game is having a negative effect on the sport.
The recent FIFA Football Awards brought tons of media hype, with the red carpet and eventual results being closely followed. However, if the Blaugrana boss had his way, he would have done away with these individual accolades saturating the beautiful game.
The Spanish tactician reminisced of a time when the accolades were fewer. Now, with the UEFA Awards, FIFA Football Awards, and the Ballon d'Or galas growing ever in popularity, Valverde believes the beautiful game is slowly morphing into show business.
"I remember a time when there weren't so many awards given out and there was less media noise," the Barcelona manager said, as per ESPN FC.
"Now there are a lot of awards, a lot of galas... everything is magnified because of that. All these ceremonies are self-promotion for those that are hosting them.
"There's a lot of noise from the media and they like to stir up controversy. This is a sport but it's becoming more and more similar to show business."
Football's biggest stars were in attendance for The Best gala in London, but one key absentee was Lionel Messi. The Argentine icon was named in FIFA FIFPro's World XI but was not nominated for the Best Men's Player prize, a move which likely influenced his decision to skip Monday's affair.
The topic of whether Leo deserved recognition in the category was brought up to Valverde, and while the Camp Nou official did not dispute Modric's claim, he insisted that La Pulga was deserving in his eyes. The manager added:
"Everyone has their own opinion. It's not the moment to compare players. Modric had a great year, but it's an award which says The Best and the best is not there... For us, it's Leo."
